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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. bass — low music
  4. mate — a friend
  5. face — part of the head
  6. stock — shares
  7. squash — the sport
  8. face — to confront
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. bark — to shout
  12. mate — to breed
  13. squash — to crush
  14. snap — to click
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. craft — boats
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. stock — goods
  19. mate — a partner
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. face — to point toward
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bass — the fish
  24. craft — a skill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com